


Spider-Man: Homeless

by ArwenAmorita



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Disney, Disney vs Sony, Gen, Multiverse, Parallel Universes, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man no longer in MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie) Spoilers, sony
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-09-25 07:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20373274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenAmorita/pseuds/ArwenAmorita
Summary: Gone. Stark Tower. Avengers merch in the souvenir shops. Iron Man murals. All of it… was just… gone.After the Disney and Sony deal went south, Spider-Man was cast straight out of MCU and finds himself adrift in a New York City that had never heard of "Avengers."





	1. Cast Out

**Author's Note:**

> Check the tags for spoilers.
> 
> And let me know if I need to add tags. Like, if I refer to a character's death in a previous movie, should I tag for major character death?
> 
> This fic is inspired by the Disney vs Sony drama currently going on over Spider-Man rights, movies, and profit-splits. So, if the deal falls through and Spider-Man is no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something like this is what I imagine could happen.
> 
> Title (and probably more) inspired by various memes related to the Disney vs Sony drama.

He didn’t know how it happened.

The sounds of the city reached him first. Peter blinked blearily up at the bright afternoon sun, only a few pigeons crossing his line of sight.

He groaned as his aching head pulsed, and he shifted his limbs to ease his sore muscles. Had he been in a fight? There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger, only a vague sense of unease to indicate that something was not quite right.

He eased himself upright, cradling his masked head in his gloved hands.

“Karen, what happened? Did I fight a villain? Run from another mob?” Things had not been easy since Quentin Beck’s video had revealed his identity to the world.

“…Karen? You there?”

Silence.

Panic starting to rise, he studied his screen, only to find _server connection failed_ in the upper corner.

“No, no, no!”

He hopped to his feet, pacing agitatedly as he accessed his suit functions. Without the server connection, his suit did not have the processing power to run an AI as complex as Karen. But with Stark satellites around the world, it had never been an issue. …Well, except for that one time he accidentally went to space. But he tried not to think about that experience, what with turning to dust, being revived, and then watching the life fade from Mr. Stark’s eyes…

Right, not thinking about that.

“Scan surroundings.” He walked to the edge of the roof, and as he looked around, labels appeared over a few buildings and street signs. Manhattan. Okay.

He checked his web shooter settings. His basic suit functions seemed to be operational. No need to panic just yet.

Surely Happy would know if the servers were down. But it seemed like only a world-ending catastrophe could take down all of the Stark servers in the area. Maybe just his suit was damaged, and if he fixed it, he could connect to the server and get Karen back.

“Call Happy.”

_Contact ‘Happy’ unknown_ flashed across the screen.

He paused, blinked.

“Call Happy Hogan.”

_Contact ‘Happy Hogan’ unknown_ flashed across the screen.

What?! His suit didn’t even have his basic contacts saved? Maybe if he used Happy’s real name? Surely “Happy” was short for something. What were some old people’s names that start with “H”? Harrison? Hector? Humphrey?

With each name he tried, _contact unknown_ flashed across the screen.

“Ugh, this is hopeless!”

Maybe Happy would be at the Stark Industries office, just a few blocks away from Stark Tower. Well, the building that used to be Stark Tower.

Taking a calming breath, he aimed for the tall building across the street and started web-swinging his way towards the former Stark Tower.

He tried to stay high, swinging close to buildings and skirting around corners. He studied the crowds warily, but no one seemed to pay him too much attention. Good.

As he approached Park Avenue, something just seemed… off.

He tried to spot anything out of the ordinary. People briskly walking to their destinations. Tourists buying “I <3 NYC” souvenirs. Bright advertisements everywhere.

He turned the last corner, and nearly missed his landing in his shock.

There, instead of Mr. Stark’s sleek tower, was a bulky building with “MetLife” plastered near the top.

Breath catching in his lungs, he quickly crawled to the top of the building and looked around. Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building, the public library, all where they were supposed to be. The tower should be right here!

Peter gripped his head as he paced, trying not to hyperventilate.

There was the coffee shop Mr. Stark occasionally took him to, and that diner Happy liked. And the novelty store with the best Iron Man action figures was just over th—

No. It wasn’t.

He swung over to that one alcove on the street, opposite the tower—no, the strange building—where the memorial was, the tribute to Iron Man.

But no, the flowers, candles, and memorabilia were all gone.

Frantically staving off his panic, he swung over towards the new Stark Industries building, eyes catching on every shop, every wall, every tourist, looking for any sign of Mr. Stark’s legacy.

Arriving across from his destination, he circled the rooftop, studying the ordinary office building and its surroundings.

His steps slowed.

His breath caught.

He dropped to his knees.

Gone. Stark Tower. Avengers merch in the souvenir shops. Iron Man murals. All of it… was just… gone.


	2. Searching

He didn’t know how much time passed.

Eventually, the sounds of traffic crept back into Peter’s awareness. He took a shuddering breath.

No. This can’t be happening. It’s impossible. It’s—

Beck.

He exhaled sharply, hands twisting into fists.

Buildings don’t just disappear. But illusions can be convincing, and Quentin Beck was definitely out to get him. After all, Peter had thwarted his plan and destroyed his illusions in London, trying to stop Beck from killing people in his quest to become a superhero. You know, by causing destruction on a level that would require the Avengers to intervene, had they still been around.

If Beck was behind this latest scheme, everyone could be in danger. He had to warn someone! He had to contact—

But he had no contacts. Or was that an illusion too? What could he even trust, when his own senses deceived him?

Stop.

No. He can’t spiral into fear and doubt. Not again.

EDITH had told him the illusions were gone. Beck was gone. It’s over. He had to trust that it happened, that he didn’t make that up, or where would he be?

Peter took a deep breath. Held it. Let it out slowly. And again. And again, until his heart stopped trying to beat out of his chest.

Think, Peter. Beck was gone, but he had to be working with someone, someone who edited and released the video revealing Spider-Man’s identity and blaming the London attack on Peter.

The illusion tech could still be out there.

He needed to test it. Illusion tech could trick his sight, and even his hearing to a degree. But it couldn’t trick his sense of touch, or that tingle he felt when something wasn’t quite right.

Peter got to his feet and took a deep breath.

“Come on, Peter Tingle. You got this.”

With that, he turned and jumped, web-swinging back to Mr. Stark’s tower.

Mentally, he overlaid the Stark Tower schematics on the supposed “MetLife building,” calculating areas that would overlap and create a safe place to land. He picked one and stopped near the top of the building, where the schematics began to drastically change, since Stark Tower was taller and slimmed in smooth, curving lines towards the top.

He crawled up the concrete panels, heading for the area he knew would transition into smooth glass. Only a few more feet, and it would transition, illusion or not.

Right about now.

…

Maybe his calculations were off. It could happen. Probably.

He crawled up a few more floors, over concrete panels angled straight up, not tapering into a smooth arch.

No, that can’t be right.

Maybe he’s on the wrong side.

Peter shuffled around to the west, panic rising the further he went, until he had fully circled the octagonal shape.

No. This isn’t—!

He raced to the roof, where surely the walls would continue to the upper floors of Stark Tower.

He tumbled onto the roof, sprawling, and the breath whooshed out of his lungs.

Shakily, he got to his legs. Arms held out in front of him, he felt his way along the open roof to where he knew the elevator shaft would be, the one that went all the way up to the penthouse.

Nothing.

This… this was no illusion.

He gripped his head and started to pace.

“This doesn’t make any sense!” If this wasn’t an illusion, if this was real, how could the top third of a building just— disappear!

He needed more information.

“Pull up anything you can find about Tony Stark.” His suit loaded search results on a portion of his screen.

Just a list of social media profiles of some random guys with similar names.

“That can’t be right. Update search terms to Iron Man.”

Pictures and listings of clunky robot artwork and sculptures appeared. Nothing like Iron Man.

His unease was starting to grow into panic.

“Search for information on the Avengers.”

Only a few sparse results for a… punk rock band?! What!?

“Spider-Man! Pull up everything you can find on Spider-Man!”

The first of millions of results appeared. Articles about Spider-Man stopping runaway buses, rescuing pedestrians, fighting a mech suite rhino dude, and… something about a giant lizard guy? And so many pictures. But the costume design was different…

An article caught his eye. The Daily Bugle calling Spider-Man a “masked menace.”

Wait, but wouldn’t they know—?

“Search Peter Parker.”

Several results populated about Peter Parker’s work as a lab assistant at Empire State University, and the Midtown High website listed Peter Parker as a teacher. An older Midtown High photo expanded, the caption naming each student. Sally Avril, Gwen Stacy, Eugene “Flash” Thompson, Peter Parker…

His breath caught.

That— That wasn’t him.


	3. Faux

His thoughts raced.

It could be a coincidence. Two Peter Parkers. At Midtown High… Both in a class with a Eugene “Flash” Thompson… Though even this Flash didn’t look like the Flash he knew.

Peter quickly navigated through the Midtown High website, but…

He didn’t recognize any of them. Not the teachers, or the students in the photos they featured. There were no videos of Betty and Jason’s daily broadcast. Not even the announcement of the post-Blip curriculum.

He paced.

This couldn’t be real. No Tony Stark. No Iron Man. No Avengers. No Tower. Strangers and doppelgangers at his school.

Where were the superheroes he grew up with? His classmates and friends? His—

He froze.

_May_.

“S-search for May Parker’s homeless support charity dinner.”

His breath caught and shuddered out of his lungs as he frantically scrolled through the results. Homeless support resources. Various charity dinners. Unfamiliar social media profiles of various May Parkers. A quote from “nurse May Parker” on an Oscorp grant for hospital equipment.

Nothing familiar. None of the articles featuring their successful fundraiser that he and May had read and celebrated, even printing paper copies to stick on the fridge.

Peter spun and launched himself off the roof, web-swinging through the streets as fast as he could, aiming for home.

She had to be there. She had to be okay. After everything, with Ben, with Tony… He couldn’t take it if she was g—

He cut off his thoughts and swung faster.

Peter stumbled onto the roof of his apartment building and quickly crawled down the brick wall to his window. He held his breath as he peered inside.

It was a little girl’s room, full of pastel flowers and teddy bears, papers with crayon drawings scattered around. The walls held pictures of the girl and her parents: blowing out birthday candles, holding hands as they walked through a park, beaming and flour-covered as they baked in the kitchen.

He backed away in confusion, checking his surroundings to see if he was at the wrong window. No, this was the one. But it wasn’t his. Not anymore.

Panic rose and gripped his throat. Maybe May was at the pre-identity-reveal apartment. Or the pre-Blip one. Or the one they shared when Uncle Ben was still…

He checked every place they had lived. Everywhere she had worked. The restaurants they had frequented. Searching, hoping, for any sign that May was here, that she had ever been here.

But… she was…

Gone.

When Peter finally came back to awareness, he was kneeling on a roof, staring into the distance. His eyes and throat stung, and his mask was damp. His hands shook, and his breaths were like sobs.

And he wasn’t alone.

“It’s a bit early for Comic Con.”

Peter startled at the voice, jumping to his feet as he spun to face… Spider-Man?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a short chapter while I figure out how to coherently write multiple Spider-Mans in one scene. >_>;;


	4. Double

The Spider-Man in front of him was older, taller, and his voice deeper. Halfway across the rooftop, and getting closer.

“Don’t get me wrong, that looks like a nice costume, and I’m flattered, but why are you—”

He stopped, and they stared at each other, heads tilting, eyes squinting.

Peter’s senses were tingling, and somehow, he just knew, “You’re like me.”

The other Spider-Man leaned forward. “Huh, so it’s not just a costume. So what’s your story? Genetic modification? Vat of radioactive goo? Another clone?” He held up a hand. “Oh wait, let me guess: Oscorp had something to do with this,” he announced, smacking a fist to his palm, like he had the answer to all of his questions.

Peter felt dazed. “Oscorp? I mean, yeah, but— Clones? That’s a possibility?”

“Oh, yeah, it happens sometimes.” The other Spider-Man brushed it off. “So I’m guessing this is just another one of Norman’s schemes. Man, that guy just does not stay dead,” the man mused, shaking his head.

“Wait wait wait, back up. Can we just… Clones?!”

“Yeah. Don’t you remember Scarlet Spider? Spidercide?”

“Nooooo…” Peter slowly shook his head.

“Huh.” The other Spider-Man seemed surprised. “Well basically, after Gwen died, our old bio professor went crazy and made clones of us—me and Gwen, that is—and a bunch of crazy stuff happened. For a while, I even thought _I_ was the clone.” He seemed to be rolling his eyes. “The moral of the story? Do your own genetic testing, ‘cause you never know when your enemy is going to fake evidence to push you into an existential crisis.”

“…Woah,” Peter said softly. His mind started whirling with the possibilities. “I mean, I knew scientists were, like, cloning organs for transplants, but a whole human? How does that even work? And wouldn’t that take really, really long? Or...wait! Do you mean like in that old Star Wars movie, Attack of the Clones? They had to grow those clones in that facility at like, _twice_ the rate of a normal human. But they also did some really sketchy genetic manipulation to make them into obedient soldiers—”

“Slow down, kid,” the man cut in. He seemed exasperated, but also amused.

“Right. Um, sorry,” Peter mumbled, shifting sheepishly. He knew it could be a bit overwhelming, when his words ran together as his mind raced faster and faster. Sometimes Mr. Stark would sigh like that too, but last time—

“So, yes, growing a whole human would take too long. As it turns out, Jackal—the guy who cloned us—didn’t grow clones, but instead kidnapped a few people and genetically mutated them into us.”

“Oh, man, those poor people.” Peter knew his eyes must be wide. “But wait! You said you thought _you_ were a clone? I mean, I know brainwashing is a thing, but surely it wouldn’t go that far.”

The man sighed. “Yeah, Jackal somehow imprinted the cloned guy with a set of my memories. We both had the same memories, up to the point when the clone was made. Speaking of, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“Woah there, hold on.” Peter stepped back. “Are you suggesting_ I’m_ a clone?!”

“Well, as I’ve said, it’s not impossible,” the man drawled.

“But my memories and this place have some _serious_ discrepancies.” Peter paced. “Like, where are the Avengers? Or Stark Tower? Last I knew, my identity was revealed and I had to hide out for a bit while Pepper sicked her lawyers on that mess.”

“Oh, well, if your identity was revealed, why don’t you just say it? Clear the air,” the man suggested.

“Woah, no way!” Peter stopped and turned, gesturing emphatically. “If you don’t already know who I am, there’s no way I’m telling you! And what about you? If you’re so sure I’m a clone, then why don’t you tell me _your_ name?”

“Yeaaaaah. That’ll be a ‘no’ from me. If this is another one of Norman’s schemes, no way I’m going to just announce who I am,” he said, shaking his head. “So here’s what we’re gonna do. Think of an alias based on your relatives’ names. On the count of three, we’ll both say our alias. If we’re the same person, it should be obvious, but if we’re not, our identities will be safe.”

An alias. Okay. Well, Ben was a common enough name, so that should be safe. But for a last name…maybe his mother’s maiden name? No, that’s the kind of thing people ask as a security question. But May wasn’t related by blood. And her maiden name…

Peter nodded.

“On the count of three,” the man said, raising his hand for the countdown. “One… two… three!”

“Ben Reilly,” they both announced.

Peter froze.

“Well, well, well,” the man said smugly. “Nice to meet you… _Peter_.”


	5. Revealed

Peter couldn’t get enough air. The world tilted.

“Easy there, kid.” The other Peter grasped his shoulders, steadied him, eased him down until they were both sitting. “Peter, you’re okay. Just take deep breaths. Breathe with me.”

Peter nodded, and just concentrated on breathing, trying to block out his clamoring thoughts. Eventually, it got easier.

“You good, kid?” At Peter’s nod, the other Peter let go of his shoulders and sat back, crossing his legs. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out. We’ll pool our information, then examine our options. I know you’re worried about the whole clone thing, but that’s just _one_ possibility. I’m sure there are many other potential explanations for what’s happening. Come on, name one.”

Peter huffed out a dry laugh. “I’m crazy. I’ve completely lost it.”

The man laughed. “I mean, I guess that’s possible. But then I’d be crazy too.” He snorted, swatting at the air dismissively. “Why not? Let’s add mass hallucination to the list. See? Options.”

“I’m not liking these options so far.”

“And we haven’t examined the evidence yet. So let’s get to it.” The man hesitated a moment. “Look, if it’ll make it easier,” he took off his mask and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Peter Parker. Twelve years ago, I was bit by a genetically altered spider. I’ve been Spider-Man ever since.”

Peter studied the older man’s face. He was grinning, his eyes tired, but kind. And while his eyes and hair were brown, his features, the shape of his face, it was all just…unfamiliar.

Peter hesitated, then sighed. “All right.” Slowly, he pulled off his own mask. “I’m…also…Peter Parker. I’ve been Spider-Man since I was bit by a spider. At Oscorp. When I was fourteen.” He reached out and clasped hands with the other Peter. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Peter.” They shook hands, then returned to studying each other. “Well, you’re no Mini-Me. Clone is looking less likely. Good for you,” he laughed. “Bit at fourteen, huh?” he mused. “I wasn’t bit until I was seventeen. How old are you, anyway?”

Peter groaned. “Seventeen, maybe? I don’t know, there’s a whole debate about it.”

“What? How is age debatable?” Older Peter looked baffled.

“It’s just… Look, I think this is another one of those discrepancies. How about I start from the beginning?”

“Fair enough,” the man shrugged.

Peter braced himself. “Okay, so have you ever heard of Tony Stark?”

Older Peter’s brow furrowed. “Can’t say I have.”

Peter felt his heart sinking. “Iron Man?”

“Nope.”

“The Avengers?” He tried to keep his voice steady.

Older Peter raised an eyebrow. “What are they supposed to be, a villainous group?”

“What?” Peter recoiled. “No! They’re a group of superheroes! They fight against supervillains and aliens!”

“Aliens?! No way!” the man gasped.

“Yes way! Aliens tried to invade Earth! Oh, and Thor is an alien too! He joined the Avengers to protect Earth,” Peter proudly announced.

“Thor? You mean like, Norse mythology Thor?”

“Exactly! He’s actually this really cool dude from Asgard, and he’s like, super strong, calls down lightning, and uses a hammer to fly! Like, one day we’re studying him in literature class, but after aliens tried to invade New York, we’re studying him in physics!”

“Woah. That’s… That’s pretty different. So, you got these…Avengers, and also, _aliens_.” Older Peter rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. So what about the villains you’ve faced?”

“Well… there was that time Captain America became a war criminal… But after that, there was this vulture guy with metal wings powered by alien tech.” Peter winced, remembering how that whole mess had imploded.

“The Vulture?” The man sat up, alert. “What was his name?”

“Mr. Toomes. Liz’s dad. You know him?”

“Yeah, Arian Toomes, the Vulture. He didn’t have any alien tech, but he made an electromagnetic harness so he could fly, and he even pulled together a group of villains against me. Fun times.” Older Peter scratched his chin. “So that’s one person we have in common. Similar, yet different. Like us.”

“You know, I was looking through the Midtown High website and saw an old photo of you and a few other students. But the only other name I recognized was Flash. And he looked different, too.”

“Flash, huh? How would you describe him?”

Peter huffed. “Rich. A bit of a bully. He was also on the academic decathlon team with me.”

Older Peter’s eyes widened. “Flash? On the _academic_ decathlon team? The Flash I knew was a poor student, needed tutoring. And he was on the basketball team. Go panthers,” he deadpanned, hand closed and wrist twirling like he was waving a spirit stick. He sighed. “He was a bully though.”

Peter blinked, perplexed. “Flash was an alternate on the team, but he wasn’t a poor student. And what do you mean, panthers? Midtown High’s mascot is a tiger.”

“Tigers, huh? Yet another difference. Tell me, what do you think about—”

Peter’s senses blared a warning at him, moments before his whole body screamed in pain. He collapsed, his breath escaping him with a strangled shout. For a long moment, he couldn’t move, though it felt like his cells were spasming, trying to escape the confines of his body.

“—ter? Peter!”

He heard older Peter’s frantic shouts as the pain slowly drained from his body. He closed his eyes, panting for breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, grounding him. He looked up to meet older Peter’s worried eyes.

“What was that?! Has that happened before?”

“No…” Peter slurred out. “That’s…that‘s pretty new.” He felt older Peter pat his face, his arms…almost as if to reassure himself that Peter was still there, still solid.

“Look kid, I’ve seen cellular degeneration in clones before, and that wasn’t it. What happened to you was way weirder. If I had to describe it, I’d almost say it looked like…_glitching_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Earth - 120703, home of the Amazing Spider-Man movies! I figured time would flow similarly to MCU (Tom Holland) Peter's Earth, and decided to draw inspiration from the comics for what happened to (Andrew Garfield) Peter on E-120703 since the movies (such as the clone saga).


	6. Glitch

Peter blinked blearily, trying to wrap his mind around what the older man had said. “…Glitching? What, like Vanellope in Wreck-It Ralph?”

Older Peter paused, tilting his head in thought. “I was going to say like in the Matrix, but no, yours is way more accurate.”

He frowned. “The Matrix? Wasn’t that an old movie where everyone was trapped in a simulation?” He scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned. “No more illusions.”

“Yeah, no, forget the Matrix. So… glitching.” The man’s voice was full of concern. “What could have caused that?”

What indeed. “Okay, so the glitching thing is new, but so is the way I woke up and the world was different. I mean, many things are similar. But some things? Maybe key things? They’re wrong. Or just…gone. L- like they never existed in the first place.” He ignored the pang in his chest. Focus.

The man hovered protectively as Peter slowly sat up.

“Wait,” the man said. “Do you think… You could be from an alternate reality? Like a parallel universe?”

“I mean… it could be possible?” his voice rose skeptically. He scowled. “There was this guy who claimed to be from an alternate reality, a different Earth in the multiverse, but he was lying. …But just because he was lying doesn’t mean there _can’t_ be a multiverse…”

“…And maybe our dimensions are just different enough for your presence here to be…unstable. …Like a bad signal or something,” older Peter concluded.

“But if this is a different Earth, how did I end up here?” Frustration leaked into his voice. “It was a normal day, and I didn’t even go outside, and I don’t remember anything feeling off or dangerous, and—!”

His senses blared a warning, just before he crumpled forward, spasming in pain. He waited, trying to focus past the pain, to focus on something, _any_thing else—

The pain eased its grip, and he shifted onto his side, trying to catch his breath. A comforting hand rested on his back.

“Woah, kid, you okay?” the man asked quietly, gently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter gasped out. “I’ve had worse.”

“Worse? _How_?!” The man's voice rose in alarm.

“Oh, you know. Disintegrated. But, like, slowly. Painfully. As my body tried its hardest to heal faster and hold together, even as it was falling apart.” He shuddered, remembering how he clung to Mr. Stark. How he begged not to go.

“_Yikes,_” the man muttered. “But then, how are you alive?”

“The Avengers. They traveled through time. Retrieved the stones. Snapped, and everyone came back.”

“…Those were words, but somehow none of that made any sense.”

Peter sighed. “Yeah, it’s part of that whole alien invasion thing. This big purple alien collected a bunch of stones with like, infinite power, and used it to wipe out half of all life in the universe with just a snap of his fingers. Including me.”

“Woah. Evil alien Barney with infinite power? Terrifying.” Then his tone gentled. “But Peter, really, are you okay?”

Peter could feel tears welling up, and tried to fight them back. “I mean, maybe? Can I be? Like, I don’t know how I got here, and I don’t know how to get home, and if I stay too long, what if I like, glitch out of _existence_ or something?!”

Older Peter placed a hand on his shoulder and met his eyes, like he could will confidence and comfort into Peter. “Peter, we’ll figure this out. You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”

Peter sniffled, tears leaking past his guard. An ember of hope lit in his chest. “Right,” he nodded. “We’ll—”

His senses tingled.

Both Peters whipped their heads to look at a growing circle of purple, blue, and white light.


	7. Portal

Peter scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. He shoved his mask over his head and crouched defensively.

Older Peter stepped protectively between him and the glowing portal, mask back in place.

A figure stepped through. A man in a navy suit, with a red spider…skull…thing stretched menacingly across the chest. He looked directly at them.

“Oh good, you’re here.”

Peter stared. This new guy sounded… friendly? He leaned to peek around older Peter, trying to get a better look.

Older Peter shifted, blocking Peter’s view of the man. “Who are you? Why are you here?” His voice was wary, and his posture defensive.

“Oh, right, I’m Spider-Man. You’re Spider-Man, he’s Spider-Man, we’re all Spider-Man, it’s fine,” the man said dismissively. “I’m from the future.”

Peter gasped and edged around older Peter, who held an arm out to block him. “The _future_!? Wait! Oh no, are you future me? Did I mess up so badly that you had to come back and warn me to prevent something terrible from happening? Or maybe it already happened and that’s how I ended up here?!”

“Oh, no, I’m not from your future, kid. I’m from _a_ future. In an alternate universe.”

“So there _is_ a multiverse,” older Peter cut in, drawing the man’s attention back to him.

“Yep. Lyla spotted an anomaly, saw that someone was displaced. Figured I’d pop over to help out.” He tilted his head, considering. “It’s the kid, right?” He seemed to roll his eyes as older Peter tensed. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt anyone.” He sighed and mumbled, “I should have sent Peni first. No one’s ever _this_ suspicious of _her_.”

“Peni? Is she…” Peter trailed off.

“Peni Parker.” He paused, amused at Peter’s gasp. “No, she’s not the female version of you. She’s from _another_ alternate future. She has a psychic link with a spider, who lives in a mech suit.”

“…That’s so cool.”

Older Peter cut back in. “Why would you assume someone is or isn’t an alternate version of him? You don’t know who he is.”

The man heaved a sigh. “Look. There are many spider-people in the multiverse. They come in all shapes and sizes. But there are common threads. And in your case, a common pattern and color scheme. Based on your suits, I’d say you are both some variation of Peter Parker.”

The silence stretched as the revelation sunk in.

“…So, is there a Peter Parker in your world?” Peter hesitantly asked.

“Sure was. Peter Parker was Spider-Man back in the Heroic Age,” he looked around, “which for you would be modern day.”

“…Then who are you?” asked Older Peter.

“Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man in 2099. Yes, the year,” he added when Peter was about to speak. “I’ve been traveling to alternate universes to help fix damaged realities. Can’t have the multiverse collapse.” He shrugged.

“Wait, if you can travel between universes, can you…” Peter paused, fighting hope, fearing a crushing disappointment. “Can you help me get home?”

“That’s the plan. So if you could step aside,” the man said, shooing older Peter away, “and not contaminate the scan with your,” he gestured around them, “this dimension’s cooties, that would be great.”

Older Peter reluctantly stepped away, though he looked prepared to jump back in at any sign of danger.

Peter fidgeted, waiting, hoping. He straightened up. Should he hold his arms out, or… No, better hold still, he decided, taking a deep breath and holding it.

“Lyla, if you would?” the man prompted as he held out his arm with an advanced wrist watch gizmo.

“Already done,” chimed a feminine voice.

Peter let out his breath, stepping closer. Older Peter shadowed his step.

“Cool, whatcha got for me?” the man—Mr. O’Hara, Peter reminded himself—asked, turning the watch to view the screen.

“Alright, so I processed the scan and searched for a universe with the same dimensional energy. Well, good news is, I found something. Mmm…two somethings. But the bad news…” the feminine voice paused. “neither is a direct match.”

Peter’s breath caught as panic started to flood in. “N-no direct match? What does that mean?”

A comforting hand rested on his shoulder as older Peter stepped closer.

Mr. O’Hara tilted his head as he studied the screen, then looked up. “It’s too soon to tell, kid. But we can find out. So, what do you say we take a field trip?”

A field trip? Peter took a step back. “Uh, field trips haven’t really been that great for me, Mr. O’Hara.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Oh, you know, spider-flu, alien invasions, psychopath trying to kill my friends. The usual.” Peter shifted uneasily.

“Fun times. I can’t guarantee it’ll be as exciting,” the man drawled, “but we do have two worlds to visit. And, bonus: the transportation’s a bit flashier than a school bus.”

“You mean we’re going to go through one of your glowy portal things to go to alternate universes!?” Peter’s mind raced with the possibilities.

“Woah woah, hold on,” older Peter cut in. “Is this safe?” He turned to Peter. “How do we know we can trust this guy?”

“You don’t have many options,” the man said solemnly. “Peter can’t stay long in a world that isn’t his. It’s already begun, hasn’t it? The glitching.”

Older Peter exhaled sharply, and Peter looked between the two men anxiously.

“Let me help,” Mr. O’Hara said softly, staring imploringly at older Peter. “You can come too, if you’d like. Just two quick trips. I promise I will return you to this world after.”

Older Peter stared at Mr. O’Hara for a long moment, as though he could read his soul. “Okay,” he said, then looked at Peter. “We’ll all go.”

“Great,” Mr. O’Hara clapped his hands once. “No time to lose.” He adjusted a few settings on his watch, then turned expectantly as a colorful portal formed beside him.

Peter turned to face the portal as older Peter stepped up and clasped his shoulder.

“Ready?”


	8. Door Number 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disney and Sony made a deal! Yay!  
...But then, where does that leave this fic?
> 
> "'And then Peter woke up from his nightmare and returned to the world that Iron Man saved.' There, I fixed it for you." - my brother, who I probably still owe a character background for D&D >_>;;
> 
> So I guess this is an AU that explores how MCU Peter would be affected by the Disney/Sony split had they not come to an agreement. Because really, a split like that on the scale I worked into this fic doesn't just become undone, there'd just be another universe where the split didn't happen. *hand wavey science*

Peter stared at the swirling purple, blue, and white lights. Took a deep breath. And stepped forward.

As he passed through the portal’s surface, gravity seemed to shift, grasping him, yanking him forward. He tumbled through space. And it did look like space, kind of. So many bright spots of light, like stars, hung around him. Shimmering lines stretched between various points, almost like a giant web.

It all swirled past him for a long, mesmerizing moment.

Gravity shifted again.

His breath was knocked from his lungs as he bounced and tumbled across a concrete surface. He skidded to a stop and just breathed, limbs splayed, staring at the sky. The sounds of New York filtered back in.

He flopped his head to the side to look as older Peter stumbled through the portal with a yelp, arms flailing. Mr. O’Hara calmly stepped through after, and the portal shrunk and disappeared.

Mr. O’Hara gazed at Peter, tilting his head. “Looks like you really stuck the landing.”

Peter groaned and pressed a hand to his face. “Why didn’t _you_ get hurled out of the portal?”

“I guess it just likes me better.” Mr. O’Hara seemed to roll his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, kid, you’ll probably do better on your second trip.”

“But it was _his_ first trip too,” Peter gestured toward older Peter.

“And I’ve been Spider-Man for over a decade,” older Peter said as he helped Peter to his feet. “Somehow, this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve done. You learn to roll with it.”

Peter rolled his eyes. He’d been to space, and opened his mouth to point this out—

“So,” Mr. O’Hara cut in, looking at his watch. “This world was the closest match. How does it compare to your world? Similarities, differences, anything downright bizarre…”

Peter paused, pushing down his anxiety, and then looked around. They were on a rooftop in Manhattan. Which meant Mr. Stark’s tower would be right over…

Peter leaped off the roof, barely hearing older Peter’s startled yell behind him as he swung away. His heart was pounding. Just a few more blocks, then…

He barely noticed when he landed as he stared across at the MetLife building. His vision blurred, and tears dripped from his eyes. He felt hollow.

“Peter!”

Older Peter sounded far away, but soon after he felt a hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t bring himself to move. He just stared, numb.

“Kid…” Older Peter said softly.

“This is something that’s different, right?” Mr. O’Hara’s voice was quiet and solemn.

Peter slowly nodded. “M-Mr. Stark built a tower here. Avenger’s Tower.”

“The Avengers, huh?” Mr. O’Hara murmured somewhere behind him.

“You had Avengers too?” older Peter murmured back. “What about aliens? Apparently, aliens invaded his world, even killed half the universe for a few years until the Avengers travelled through time to undo it.”

Peter’s breaths were shuddering through him. His thoughts swirled slowly, like they were dragging through mud. _Gone_.

“I poked through the internet here,” a feminine voice piped in, quieter than usual. “There’s no record of any alien invasions or half the population dying, not like that.”

Peter’s hands rose to cover his face. He just tried to breathe. The hand on his shoulder gently squeezed. Then tensed.

A new voice chimed in.

“Hey guys, am I late to the costume party?”


	9. Costume Party

Peter numbly turned to face the newcomer. _Another_ Spider-Man.

Mr. O’Hara slowly looked between Peter and the newcomer. “This can’t be good,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hi!” older Peter chirped with artificial brightness. “We’re all Spider-Men from alternate universes. No worries, we’re just here to investigate something for the kid, then we’ll be out of your hair.” His voice dropped as he muttered to himself, “It’s so weird to be on this side of things.”

The newcomer stared at them all for a long moment. “Riiiiight. Alternate universes. Haven’t heard that one before.”

“That’s reasonable,” Mr. O’Hara stepped in. “I’m Spider-Man from an alternate future. We were monitoring the multiverse, noticed the kid got displaced. According to our scans, your world and his world are very similar.” He hesitated. “If I’m right, you and the kid are…very close alternate versions of each other. …You’re Peter Parker, right?”

Peter froze, his breath catching. Even as the newcomer stiffened, but tried to play it cool. “Peter Parker? Why would you say that?”

“There are many spider-people in the multiverse.” Mr. O’Hara shrugged. “The Peter Parkers tend to have similar tastes in suit designs. These two are also Peter Parker, but their genetics and appearances are not as similar as I suspect yours and the kid’s to be.”

“How would you know? You haven’t seen my face,” older Peter protested.

Mr. O’Hara brushed it off. “I’ve seen a lot of worlds. I know how these things go. And Lyla snooped around your world too,” he said, gesturing at his wrist with the watch. Older Peter spluttered as Mr. O’Hara turned to Peter. “If you want to get to the bottom of this, you should remove your mask.” His voice was soft, but solemn. “His reaction will tell us a lot.”

Remove his mask? Peter closed his eyes as a shudder went through him. But if this was his world, they already knew his face. And if it wasn’t his world…

With a warm, steadying hand on his shoulder, he reached up. Slowly pulled off his mask. And looked at the newcomer.

The newcomer inhaled sharply, and froze. “Y-you’re…” His hand started to reach out. Halted. Withdrew. And mumbled, so quietly that Peter almost didn’t catch his words, “…a younger me?”

Peter’s thoughts swirled into an incoherent jumble as panic flooded him and his senses blared and—

He glitched. Fell. Spasmed in pain. Vaguely heard shouting, as if from a great distance.

When the pain eased and the world seeped back in, older Peter was sitting on the ground with him, arm around his shoulders, running a hand soothingly through his hair. The others were murmuring to each other, Mr. O’Hara explaining the glitches to the… to the newcomer. Peter closed his eyes and tried not to think.

Older Peter sighed, and quietly spoke to the others, even as his soothing motions continued. “He just…appeared in my world. We’re trying to find his world, but your world was the closest match, and as you can see…”

Peter took a deep breath, and shifted to look at Mr. O’Hara. “Please.” His voice cracked. “Please tell me, this world…”

Mr. O’Hara hesitated. Sighed. “I’m sorry, Peter. This isn’t your world.”

Peter shot to his feet. “But, this was the closest match! What does that mean?!” His friends, his family, his _world_…gone. Was he…really, truly…homeless?

Mr. O’Hara gazed at him, then looked away. “We should check out the other world, see if we can find any clues. We’ll keep looking.”

Peter stared at him, his small ember of hope fading. He blinked back tears.

Older Peter enveloped him in a warm hug, one arm wrapped across his shoulders, the other reaching up to tuck his head under older Peter’s chin. It was so similar to Uncle Ben’s… He stopped fighting back the rising emotions, and let them wash over him. As he sobbed, older Peter gently rocked him back and forth, like Uncle Ben rocked him when he found out his parents were never coming home.

“Is he okay?” the newcomer…alternate Peter asked quietly.

“No,” Mr. O’Hara sighed, his voice hushed and sorrowful. “He’s lost his _world_. We’ll keep looking, but this world was our best bet. Despite a few key differences, your world and his are very similar.”

“…And you said he and I are nearly the same person? He’s so young.”

“It’s one of the differences. He was dead for a few years, along with half the universe. The other heroes of his world managed to bring them all back.”

“…He’s been through so much. Is there…anything I can do to help?”

“After we take a look at the other world, we’ll head back to the other Peter’s world. He can’t stay away from his home too long either. …And it might be kinder for the kid to be in a world that isn’t full of people he should know, who don’t know him…”

Peter burrowed his face deeper into the hug, and for a long moment, just let their voices…fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Looks at chapter title*  
*Looks at chapter*  
...I don't see how that's a party.
> 
> Hang in there, Peter~! Things will get better...eventually >_>;;


	10. Door Number 2

Peter felt drained. His tears had dried and his breathing calmed.

He pulled away from older Peter’s hug to observe the alternate…him. It was so strange to imagine what his life would have been like without Mr. Stark and his guidance. Without his high-tech suit and Karen. Without alien invasions, alien weapons, and the Blip. Liz’s dad wouldn’t have been the Vulture. Quentin Beck wouldn’t have become Mysterio. His friends wouldn’t have been in danger at the Washington Monument. The Staten Island Ferry wouldn’t have been cut in half. Or maybe he would have found other ways to screw everything up.

Mr. O’Hara looked over and studied him. “We shouldn’t linger too long. Are you ready to check out the other world?” he asked, not unkindly.

Peter nodded.

“Great! Let’s get this show on the road.” Mr. O’Hara adjusted his watch, and a glowing portal formed.

Peter glanced back at alternate Peter. Should he say goodbye? Thank him for…hospitality? Apologize for intruding? With an awkward wave at the man, he approached the portal.

Paused. Something about the portal felt different this time. Maybe…staticky?

Hesitantly, Peter reached out a hand to its surface. Several inches away, his hand stopped, as though he had hit a wall. He pressed harder, but there was no give. He looked at Mr. O’Hara. “Is this normal?”

Mr. O’Hara reached for the portal, but hit the same barrier. “Hmm, that’s unusual.” He crouched, grabbed a rock, and tossed it clear through the portal. “Lyla and I can run some tests later to see what can make it through the barrier, see if there’s a pattern. Lyla, are you getting any readings from the other side?”

“Sure can,” Lyla chirped. “I’ll see what I can find through their internet. Any requests?”

“Any mention of Mr. Stark? The Avengers?” Peter held his breath. What if they were gone from _every_ world? That would be the worst…

“Yes to both,” Lyla chimed. “Tony Stark is doing well, and the Avengers…hmm, I see now what you meant by alien invasions and the death of half the universe.”

Peter nearly collapsed in relief. “They’re alive? They’re okay?”

Lyla hmmed. “Weeeell, the _original_ Avengers are mostly fine. The newer ones…they’re still dead. Along with half the universe.”

“_What_!?” Peter’s hands gripped the sides of his head. “Dead!? How could they be…” He paused. “What year is it, in that world?” Everyone came back in 2023. Maybe time ran slower in that world…

“It’s 2024.”

Peter narrowly bit back a curse. How could this have happened? What _changed_?

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. But at least… “But Mr. Stark…he’s okay, right?”

“Yes, Tony Stark is still alive. As is his wife, Pepper. And, _aw_, his daughter is adorable. She turned two recently,” Lyla cooed.

“Two?” Peter was puzzled. “Shouldn’t she be, like, five now?”

“Well, _this_ Morgan is two. I’ll grab more data so we can compare timelines later.”

“So, does this mean that world’s Peter Parker is still dead?” older Peter asked hesitantly.

Lyla paused. “I’m not finding any records of Peter Parker. Or Spider-Man.”

Peter’s thoughts raced. Two worlds. One without the Avengers. One without Spider-Man. Without _him_. Could it be? Were these worlds all that remained of his world? As though it had somehow…split? But how? What could possibly cause something like this? No way. That would be _too_ crazy.

Mr. O’Hara sighed. “Good work, Lyla. We can reestablish the portal later if we need more information. For now, let’s shut it down and move on. We should get the other Peter back to his world before he starts glitching too.”

Startled, Peter looked at older Peter, studying him as the portal faded.

Older Peter reached out and clasped his shoulder, reassuringly. “I’ll be okay.”

Another portal sprung up next to Mr. O’Hara.

“Cool, okay, thanks for stopping by,” the alternate Peter said. “The experience has been _unparalleled_. Really _out of this world_.” His joking air faded awkwardly. “But uh, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, okay? Keep me updated,” he said to Mr. O’Hara, before turning to Peter. “Good luck, kid.”

“Thanks, uh, Mr.…Parker…sir.” Oh no, that was so awkward, why did he say that? Peter ducked his head as he heard a chuckle and ducked into the bright, swirling lights of the portal.


	11. And Back Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Life got busy for a while there… >_>;;
> 
> I just want you to know that I appreciate all of you wonderful readers~! Extra thanks to everyone who left comments or kudos! Those notifications kept prompting me to get back to writing this fanfic ^-^

Glowing lights spiraled past as Peter fell between worlds.

He tumbled out of the portal, managing to use his momentum to spring to his feet just before older Peter arrived. Success!

Older Peter chuckled. “Looks like you’re getting the hang of interdimensional travel.”

“Yep,” Peter said, nodding. He puffed out his chest and propped his fists on his hips in exaggerated pride. “Bow before my superior portal skills!”

Older Peter reached over and ruffled his hair, laughing.

Mr. O’Hara arrived, and the portal lights faded away. “Great! We all made it in one piece.”

Peter was alarmed. “Wait, so we could have _not_ made it in one piece?”

His question was brushed aside. “So, as promised, we’re back on your world,” Mr. O’Hara said to older Peter. “It was with one less trip than we planned, but at least you got to avoid the fun of glitching.”

“Fun?” Peter muttered incredulously.

“Sure, _I’m_ fine,” older Peter said. “But what about Peter? How do we keep him from glitching if he doesn’t have a…a world where he’s safe from that?”

“No worries,” Mr. O’Hara flapped a hand dismissively. “I already contacted someone to help out with that. In the meantime, what do you say we puzzle out the differences between that blocked-off Avengers universe and your world, kid?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, sure! How do I…”

Lyla chimed in, “Sketch out a timeline of significant events and dates, and I’ll compare it with the information I grabbed through the portal.”

“Okay.” Significant events? It all started with… “In 2010, Mr. Stark announced to the world that he was Iron Man. And in 2011 Mr. Stark had this really cool expo that was attacked by drones, and he swooped in and was all ‘_whoosh!_’ and ‘_pow!_’ and said ‘Nice work, kid’ and it was like the coolest day ever and—” Seeing the others’ expressions, he cleared his throat. “…yeah, and then in 2012 aliens invaded New York and the Avengers appeared with Thor to stop them. …Uh, what else… Um, Ultron attacked in 2015, and then there was all this talk about the Sokovia Accords and superhero regulation in 2016, and then the Avengers were fighting and Mr. Stark recruited me to fight against Captain America and the rogue Avengers at this airport in Berlin—"

“Mr. Stark did _what_?” older Peter asked incredulously. “How old were you even?”

Peter fidgeted. “Uh…like…14?”

Older Peter’s hands were covering his face now, and Peter faintly heard “Peter, _no_” and “of all the irresponsible—” before it all devolved into muttering.

“So far so good!” Lyla chirped brightly. “There are mentions of those events happening around those times.”

Peter was still staring at older Peter, a bit worried. “…Great. …So then like three months after Berlin, I was dealing with these guys with alien tech and large mechanical wings, and they tried to steal Mr. Stark’s plane, which was full of Avengers tech.”

Lyla hmmed. “It’s hard to say with this one. There’s a few mentions of odd tech in some incidents, but no mention of Mr. Stark’s plane getting hijacked. If it happened, they kept it quiet somehow. Do you remember anything big hitting the news around that time?”

Something the media would know about? Peter thought for a bit. “Oh, I know! Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts announced their engagement soon after!” He smiled, remembering how happy and adorable they were in the video of their announcement.

“Noooooo, I’m not seeing an engagement announcement until two years later. After half the universe died, at that.”

“Woah, what!? Why so much later?” Peter paced as he muttered to himself. “It was then, right? Yeah, I fought Mr. Toomes, then I passed Mr. Stark’s test and didn’t fall for his ploy to prove I wasn’t ready to be an Avenger yet, and then I saw the engagement announcement when I got home and—”

He froze. “It wasn’t a test... It _wasn’t_ a _test_! The press were waiting, and I was almost an Avenger right then and—!” He gasped. “They got engaged because of me. I caused my OTP to happen! This is amazing! Wait. Does this mean I actually _failed_ the test?” No wait, focus, Peter. “If I don’t exist in that world, and the differences were caused because of that, then the reason everyone didn’t come back after the Snap…”

His eyes watered as he remembered what Happy had told him on the plane. _I don’t think Tony would have done what he did, if he didn’t know that you were going to be here after he was gone._

Then…maybe Mr. Stark figured out time travel, and fought alongside the Avengers again…for _him_. But then, all those people… Peter gripped at his chest.

A hand gently squeezed his shoulder.

“Peter? Are you okay?” Older Peter’s mask was off, and he looked worried.

“Y-yeah.” Peter sniffled. “I just…I wasn’t there, and all those people…they’re still…”

“Hey, no, that isn’t your fault,” older Peter said softly.

“I know... It’s just…” his voice shook.

“Yeah,” older Peter sighed. “It sucks.”

“Maybe it’s not too late, and they can still bring everyone back. Maybe in a few years…”

Older Peter smiled sadly. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Something flashed, and they looked over as a swirl of lights formed into a portal across the rooftop.

Mr. O’Hara glanced at his watch. “Oh good, right on time!”

And out from the portal stepped…a school girl and a large robot?


	12. A Girl and Her SP//dr

The girl looked over at them and smiled brightly. “Hi guys!” She then spun and flipped off the robot, saying, “Konnichiwa! Hajimemashite! Yoroshiku~!” and did a cutesy peace sign and wink and…were those sparkles? This girl embodied anime more than anyone he’d ever met.

Peter stared for a moment. “Uh…hi?”

Mr. O’Hara waved a greeting. “Thanks for dropping in.”

“Of course!” The girl said, smiling brightly and waving back enthusiastically. The robot waved at the same time with an equally happy expression. It was odd, but…rather adorable.

“Wait,” older Peter said, holding up a hand as the girl and robot approached. “You’re…” he trailed off, tilting his head as Peter felt his senses buzz with familiarity. “…another spider-person?”

“Oh!” Peter said as his memories clicked. “You’re that future girl with the psychic spider who pilots a mech suit! Peni, right?”

“Pretty much,” Peni laughs. “We’re best friends!” she says, hugging the robot, whose screen changed from happy eyes to heart eyes.

“Aww,” older Peter cooed quietly.

Mr. O’Hara sighed, dramatically dragging a hand down his face. “Yep, I should have sent her to meet you first. Would have saved me the hassle of your suspicions.”

“Ooh!” Peni gasped. “Sounds like you had a fun introduction! Tell me, tell me!” Peni hopped on top of her robot…spider friend…mech suit thing, reached inside, and pulled out snacks, which she promptly began tossing into her mouth, eyes wide and shining with intrigue as she glanced back and forth between Mr. O’Hara and older Peter.

Older Peter’s cheeks were starting to look a little red. “I mean, it wasn’t _that_ bad.”

Mr. O’Hara snorted. “Most spider-people are a little suspicious when they meet their first alternate dimension spider-person, but _you_ went all mama bear on me, nearly growling if I even _looked_ at the kid.”

Peni giggled. “Oh, that’s _perfect_. We can call you Mama Bear!” she said, beaming at older Peter.

“_What_?!” older Peter choked out.

“Well, you’re both Peter Parkers, right?” Her eyes shimmered with amusement.

Peter nodded in unison with older Peter.

“Right. And the spider-gang already has two Peter Parkers.” Peni tilted her head in consideration. “And a Peter Porker. With so many Peters around, we’ve started using nicknames to cut down on confusion. Oh, I can’t _wait_ until you meet the rest of the gang!”

Peter _Porker_? What even…

“The…spider-gang?” older Peter asked.

“Oh yeah! So a while back, someone used a super collider to reach across dimensions, and the Peters, Gwen, and I got pulled into Miles’s dimension! We teamed up and fought off the bad guys, and Miles made sure we all got back to our home dimensions. And now we keep in touch!” Peni beamed. “Oh, that reminds me!” Peni slid off the mech suit and held a hand out to Peter. “Your hand, please~!”

Peter blinked. “My…hand?”

“Yep! Miguel asked me to bring a stabilizer for you. Glitching sucks,” she pouted.

“Oh, right.” Peter quickly held out his hand.

“Alrighty! Let me just snap this on, and calibrate the settings, aaaand done!”

Peter shuddered as something like static flowed through him in a wave. “What was _that_?”

“No worries! That was just the stabilizer helping you adjust to being in this dimension,” she said casually. “Now let me show you the cool features! On this screen you have your contacts, which includes all the members of the spider-gang and Miguel. And over here is a list of dimensions that it’s safe to jump to, and notes about the spider-people who live there!” She paused, and her excitement faded to a frown. “Though maybe you should wait for one of us to show you the ropes before you start hopping all over the multiverse.”

Peter stared at her. “That…is…so c_ool_! You gave me keys…to the _multiverse_!?”

Peni smiled sweetly. “Well, yeah. You’re…” She hesitated, looking down as her eyes shimmered sadly. “You’re kind of…stranded, right? I remember what it’s like…trying to find a way home.”

Peter’s breath hitched as he tried to push back the wave of hopelessness again.

Older Peter laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out,” he said softly. “And you always have a place here, if you want it.”

“And you can come hang out in my dimension too!” Peni bounced in excitement. “Oh man, it’s going to Blow. Your. _Mind_. I can’t wait!”

Peter huffed out a watery chuckle and swiped at a stray tear. “Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

Mr. O’Hara shifted away from the group. “Well, it’s been a long day. We should let you rest, check back in tomorrow. We’ll save the mind-blowing for another day. Okay?”

Older Peter squeezed Peter’s shoulder. “Come hang with me for a bit. We’ll grab some food and I’ll show you the guest room. Sound good?” he coaxed.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.” Peter looked at older Peter, Peni, and Mr. O’Hara in turn. “All of you. For everything. Really, just…thanks.”

“You’re very welcome! And don’t worry,” Peni said, resting a hand on his arm with a sad smile. “We’ll get you through this.”

Mr. O’Hara nodded. “You’ve got us on your side now, kid. A couple of geniuses from the future, with the multiverse at our fingertips.” He tapped a sequence on his watch, summoning a portal. “I’ll swing by tomorrow.” He gave a casual, two-fingered salute, and stepped through the portal.

“Have a good night, Peter, Mama Bear!” Peni grinned cheekily. After tapping at her own watch, the portal flared with new colors. “Until tomorrow~!” With that, Peni jumped backwards, flipping up into the air and landing in the mech suit with ease. With one last “Bye~!” and a cheerful wave, the suit launched backwards into the portal, the screen displaying sunglasses and a smirk as it disappeared through the shimmering lights.

After a moment, the portal faded.

Peter and older Peter stared at the empty rooftop for a long moment.

“Well, that happened.”

Peter snorted. Mech suits and the keys to the multiverse. This was his life now.


	13. Couch Surfing

“Come on,” older Peter said, nudging Peter’s shoulder. “Let’s grab some pizza and head back to my place.”

Peter’s stomach rumbled at the reminder of food. Wow, he hadn’t eaten since before this whole mess started…

“Pizza would be great, thanks.”

They swung across the city, stopping by older Peter’s cache of clothing on a rooftop so he could throw on a hoodie and sweatpants over his suit. Then Peter watched from an alley wall as older Peter stepped into a pizza shop to pick up their order. And if Peter stopped a mugging around the corner while he waited, he wasn’t going to mention it to older Peter. And hopefully the lady wouldn’t mention it either. Though with his luck, the lady’s bewildered “Spider-kid?!” would end up trending online somewhere.

When they reached the apartment, older Peter opened a window for Peter to crawl through and handed him some clothes he could change into.

They spent the evening relaxing on older Peter’s couch, eating pizza and debating the best components for making web fluid while some documentary played in the background.

* * *

“Peter?”

The voice drifted into Peter’s awareness slowly, as if from a distance.

A hand tentatively rested on his shoulder. Oh, older Peter was calling him. But what… Ah, that’s right. They had been talking about the various bits of trash they had scavenged for parts to make gadgets out of. And then they talked about Peter’s suit, and he’d realized that if he damaged the suit, he couldn’t just pop over to Mr. Stark’s lab to repair it.

The people he knew were gone. The resources he’d had were gone. His home, his _world_, were just…_gone_. All he had to rely on was the kindness of strangers, for food, for help, for a place to even _sleep_.

Peter’s eyes welled with tears as he stared at his hands. “Is this my life now? Couch surfing?”

“I mean, I have a guest room,” older Peter said softly. “You don’t have to sleep on the _couch_—”

“Like, I don’t have money, and I can’t get a job—I don’t have any paperwork! Legally, I don’t even exist!”

“Well, it’s not _that_ hard to set up a fake ID…”

“And like, I may as well not exist. I mean, you saw that world. It’s not _mine_! It has some _other_ Peter Parker, some other version of _everyone_, probably. Aunt May, MJ, Ned, even Happy and Morgan…they won’t know _me_. They aren’t _my_ friends, _my_ family. They’re some other Peter’s. Or some other _world’s_…” Older Peter wrapped him in a hug as his voice was choked out by sobs. He clung to older Peter like a lifeline. “I don’t…I don’t know how to go on…without them.”

Older Peter’s voice was raw, heavy with sorrow as he replied. “You don’t. You take them with you.”

“But like, what do I _do_?” He felt so helpless, and hopeless.

“You don’t have to figure everything out right now, Peter. There’s no easy answer. All you can do is take things step by step. Just one step, Peter. What do you want right now?”

He hesitated. “I…I know they’re not _mine_…but I need to know if they’re okay.”

He felt older Peter nod. “Sure, we can do that. In the morning, we can go back to that other world, and you can see them with your own eyes.”

Right. Keys to the multiverse. But…

“Yeah, I’ll go.” He cleared his throat. “But you should stay.”

“What? No—”

“You don’t have anything to stabilize you in another dimension,” Peter cut in. “You’d glitch. I can’t put you through that. Please…don’t make me watch that happen to you.”

Older Peter wavered, then relented. “Okay. But promise you’ll come back. Don’t just disappear on me.”

Peter managed a small smile. “I promise.”

* * *

Peter sat on the edge of a rooftop, leg swaying off the side as he waited.

He was back in the alternate world, and he figured it was only a matter of time before alternate Peter showed up.

He yawned as he studied the city around him, noting the differences between this world and his. There was less tension here. It was a little easier to breathe. It wasn’t his world’s fault; when half the population dies suddenly, it leaves a lot of stress and trauma. And while they were relieved when the Avengers won and managed to bring everyone back…well, too much had happened, and too much was lost for everything to go back to the way things had been. And for those who had Blipped, the confusion of returning to a world that had lost you and moved on without you…

“Long time no see! How are you, kid?”

Peter turned to see alternate Peter approaching, and raised a heavy arm to wave at him. “I’m as well as can be expected.” He shrugged. “But at least I don’t have to worry about glitching anymore,” he said, gesturing at his watch.

“I’m glad to hear that, kid. If I can do anything to help, I will.” Peter couldn’t see his expression through the mask, but alternate Peter seemed sincere. …And a bit concerned.

“Well, since you mentioned it…” Peter turned to look down at the city streets again. “…I’ve been worried about my friends and family, and…I was hoping you could show me…” Peter sighed. “Look, I know they’re not…they’re not mine, but they’re the closest in the multiverse to my friends and family. I…I just want to know that they’re okay. That they’re happy.”

Alternate Peter rested a hand on his shoulder, studied him. “Okay,” he said softly. “Who do you want to see first?”

“May. _Please_.”

“Sure thing, kid.”

They spent most of the day stopping outside apartments and workplaces, peering discreetly through windows as alternate Peter spoke fondly of their lives and jobs, dreams and desires. Life wasn’t perfect, but they were happy. Content. And while his heart still felt shattered, the broken edges didn’t feel as sharp now.


End file.
